Reaping the Storm
by LegionOfMany
Summary: It's a story every child knows: The Princess get's kidnapped by the Villain and kept hostage somewhere far away, waiting for her Hero to come and save her to live happily ever after. But, what if the Princess is, in fact, a body double...? Will a hero come? [ F!Reader x Vaati / Reader x Link - rating might change! ]
1. Parade

Hidden behind a veil and a headscarf, you slowly made your way down the path which had been formed in the crowd. Standing tall and proud, you walked with confidence in your gait, one glove hand raised to wave at the many people that cheered and sang at your appearance.

Or, well, at the appearance of who they _thought_ you were. If they _knew_ that you were, in fact, just a random maid from the castle, they would have hardly shown this much enthusiasm.

In all honesty, you still didn't understand why you had been chosen to be the Princess' body double all of a sudden. In fact, you hadn't even _known_ that there was going to be a body double at all - and yet, the king had insisted. And so, over the course of the past three months, you had been taught in posture and proper etiquette, your tutor not being satisfied until, in the end, even the king himself could hardly tell you from his own daughter once your face was veiled (which, personally, you found oddly depressing).

Well, _so far_ everything seemed to be working perfectly. Despite your racing heart and the faint feeling of having to faint any second from nervosity, you played your role well. Your job wasn't _that_ hard, after all; get out of the carriage, walk through town, waving at people, before entering through the castle gates and therefore officially starting the Festival of Farore - a task even _you_ should manage to do without messing up. Or so you thought.

A gentle touch on your wrist pulled you out of your thoughts, making you turn your head to the side. Link, the Princess' childhood friend and 'her' personal knight for this ceremony, seemed to have sensed your discomfort, carefully brushing his knuckles against your hand now in order to get your attention. When you looked at him, the blonde flashed you a soft smile, nodding encouragingly.

Having been around when you practised together with Zelda, Link was one of the few people to know about the true person behind the veil. He also was one of the few people, that probably knew _exactly_ how many times you had tripped over the hem of your dress or got your veil stuck on the carriage door during your practice - so naturally he could assume how nervous you were.

Leaning in close enough to be heard, but not quite close enough to seem suspicious, the young hero whispered to you.

"You're doing great so far. Relax! We're almost there."

Completely distracted, maybe even _mesmerized_ by his kind words and undeniably handsome face, you completely forgot about your surroundings for a moment, which would have caused you to march straight into the soldier that walked in front of you, if Link hadn't discreetly pulled you back. You thanked the goddesses for the veil, which was now hiding your furiously blushing cheeks, and instead decided to fully concentrate on the road before you again.

The blond hadn't been lying; you could already see the castle up the street, which was seamed by cheering citizens and colourful flags bearing the crest of Farore. Relief flooded you, tense shoulders relaxing at the sight. Only a little bit more, and then your job would be done and the Princess could take over again. And, since the past hour there hadn't been a single attempt at assassination, you _highly_ doubted that anything would happen during these last few meters. This would be a piece of cake!

Of course you couldn't have known just how _wrong_ you were.

* * *

 _Hello again and welcome to the very short first chapter of my new and - hopefully! - longer reader-insert story!  
Featuring, once more, our favourite purple poolnoodle! I know that a lot have requested a sequel to In the Eye of the Storm, but personally I like it the way it is - so have this instead to compensate!_

 _If all goes well, then the second chapter will (with a proper lenght) come tomorrow!_

 _Yours Truly  
Legion_


	2. A Gathering Storm

It had begun before anyone even realised what was going on, including you yourself. At first you had thought, that the general marching at the top of the parade had suddenly jumped into the air; without warning he was suddenly in the air, several people crying out in surprise. But, he didn't come back down again. Higher and higher did he rise, the bit of his face that was visible below his helmet a mask of sheer terror. No, he hadn't jumped - something had _lifted_ him into the air, tossing the grown man around as though he was little more than a rag-doll.

And he wasn't alone; one by one the men found themselves launched into the air, helplessly flailing as the invisible force carried them high above the rooftops. Soon, most of the soldiers parading in front of you were gone, the crowd's cheering having turned into fearful screaming and groaning as they watched how the first few soldiers fell onto the roofs. You didn't watch long enough to see, whether they survived the drop or not.

Next to you, Link had drawn his blade, one arm outstretched before you in a protective manner. You could see in his tense face, that he was on full alert, ready to take on the invisible monster. Or, at least you were sure, that this was his original intention.

Before he could even so as much as twitch, a sudden gust of wind shot through the now empty street before you. Only grazing you, it felt like little more than a gentle breeze, yet Link was hit by its full force; With a startled cry he was sent flying backwards, the sword torn from his grasp and landing somewhere far off, uselessly clattering to the ground. By now the crowd was panicking, no longer watching what was happening, but rather trying to flee from the scene in a desperate attempt to get away from the unsettling events.

"Link!"

Your voice drowned in the chaos around you, suffocated by the frightened cries around you and the yelling of the soldiers, which were helplessly trying to ward off an enemy that could not be seen or touched. It was a horrid scene, an in its centre stood you; confused and lost, your duty as a body double forgotten as you tried to hurry towards the fallen blond. Link was struggling to get back onto his feet, gales of wind still seeming to assault him, pushing him down onto the cobblestones. He raised his head, and for a split moment your eyes met.

And then the entire world shifted, your view tilting as you lost the ground under your feet. Weightless, you just twirled in the air, frozen stiff at the sudden change in gravity - even if you had _wanted_ to flail or screech, you couldn't have managed. By the time you awoke from your stunned state, you were already high up in the air, the current carrying you higher and higher.

In panicked realisation you glanced down, hoping to spot Link, but immediately regretting the decision. Upon seeing just _how_ high up you were, your insides cue twisted and nausea overtook you, once more growing rigid - but no longer out of mere surprise, but _fear_.

The scream which had threatened to break from your lips ended up being more of a pathetic whimper. Immediately you clenched your eyes shut, trying to calm your heart which, after stopping for a second, was now beating twice as fast as before.

The events only lasted for a few seconds, but to you every single one felt like an eternity, long and horrifying moments in which you expected to plummet down onto the street any second. But you never did.

Without warning, you suddenly found yourself pulled against something firm, accompanied by the sensation of someone wrapping their arm around your waist. The faint scent, similar of that of the air just before rainfall, entered your nose. Against your own will, your eyelids fluttered open once more.

" **So, we meet again,** _ **Princess.**_ **"**

There in mid-air, seeming to tread upon the wind itself stood a man. With one arm, he had snatched you from the current, holding you against his frame with ease now, much _much_ closer than you would have ever dared to get to anyone. It _definitely_ wasn't the right time to think about such things, but seeing how close you were, it was basically _impossible_ for you _not_ to notice his beauty. He was... Breathtaking. Breathtaking and completely _terrifying._

The being in front of you was _perfect_ ; his skin was ivory and smooth, face carved with such perfection that it lacked all humanity. Long, lilac hair cascaded down his back, swaying softly in the breeze which seemed to constantly dance around him. One eye was covered by long strands of it, yet the one that was visible was of a dark shade of red, observing you with something akin to mocking amusement. And just below it, a black mark spread all the way down to his cheek, being the only feature which one could _maybe_ consider a fault; like a crack in porcelain.

You had met _many_ beautiful people - men and women alike - during your time, yet never had you considered their appearance as something unsettling. This man however? He was breathtaking in the most bone-chilling way.

He was a _monster._ You could tell from the very second you laid your eyes on him.

Seeing how you remained stiff and silent, the being gave a dark laugh, a pleasant sound if it wouldn't have been for its sinister nature. Raising one hand, it seemed for a moment as though he was going to cup your face, before he appeared to reconsider, instead merely tracing the rim of your headscarf in a playful manner.

" **Does my appearance frighten you, Zelda? I** _ **promised**_ **you, that I would return, little more than two centuries ago, did I not?"**

His voice was silken, his tone kept pleasant with only a _hint_ of derision hidden in its amusement. For a moment, you pondered what he meant by 'more than two centuries', but you would have time to think about that later. Right now you had a more urgent problem:

He had addressed you as the Princess - twice actually. And, in fact it was only _now,_ that you remembered about your current disguise. Your face was still veiled, your identity to him being that of Zelda. Under normal circumstances you would have been _flattered_ to see, how accurate your acting apparently had been, but right now you only cursed your luck.

Finally awakening from your state of shock, you began to struggle in his grasp, raising gloved hands to push against his chest in an attempt to shove him away - which, in retrospect might not have been the smartest idea, seeing how you were _quite_ up high.

To your blessing in disguise, he seemed to be hardly fazed by your writhing. Lowering his free hand again, he instead directed his gaze at the ground, scanning the scattered crowd below with an expression of cold satisfaction. By now, several people had spotted the two of you, pointing up and crying out or shouting orders and suggestions at each other. And amidst them stood Link, staring up at you. It seemed he had reclaimed his blade, yet it was of no help; he couldn't reach you. All the blond could do, was to watch as helplessly as everyone else, as the stranger held you captive high above the ground.

"R-Release me! I don't know you - I am not-"

He cut you off before you could finish your sentence and explain that, in fact, you were _not_ who he thought you to be. Returning your gaze to you, he gave a sharp, mirthless laugh, thin lips curling into a smile that could only be called _bitter_.

" **Not know me? Why, I am** _ **heartbroken**_ **that you would say such a thing, Zelda."**

Leaning in even closer, making you swallow and back away as much as your situation allowed it, he observed you through half-lidded eyes, all amusement gone from his expression now, leaving him deadly serious.

" **No. You have** _ **forgotten**_ **, quite possibly, but you know me** _ **very well.**_ **"**

His words, and especially his _tone of voice_ sent icy chills down your spine, making you grow increasingly more unsettled. Whatever this person's history with the Princess was... It was clear to you, that it was no happy story.

For a while, he simply stared down at you coldly, his expression unreadable - before, without warning, it changed yet again, lips forming another beautiful smile as he tilted his head ever-so-slightly to the side.

" **Ah, but fear not... I will have you recall soon enough** _ **.**_ **We will have all the time in the world, my Princess."**

His words were foreboding, leaving you with a very bad feeling, yet you weren't given much time to try and imagine what exactly he was referring to. As if heeding an unspoken command, the winds suddenly began to rage all around you, the gentle breeze turning into a storm within seconds, just as unexpectedly as it had changed during the parade. Yelping, you flinched and consciously cowered towards the purplehaired, clutching to the fabric of his violet cape. Like a cage, the gale winds wrapped themselves around the two of you, forming a sphere which soon grew opaque, leaving you trapped in a twilight space with the stranger.

" **This time, there will be no escape."**

* * *

 _And that was the second chapter!_ _It's been a while since I wrote anything with Vaati, haha.  
Anyways, I do hope you enjoyed it! See you next chapter~!_

 _Yours truly  
Legion_


End file.
